Cotham School Explained

Cotham School
Established:	(as the Merchant Venturers' School)
Type:	Secondary Academy
Head:	Joanne Butler
Address:	Cotham Drive
City:	Bristol
Postcode:	BS6 6DT
Country:	England
Local Authority:	Bristol City Council
Urn:	137440
Ofsted:	Yes
Enrolment:	1487 (data from April 2018)
Capacity:	1480 (data from April 2018)
Gender:	Mixed
Lower Age:	11
Upper Age:	18
Houses:	Delta, Gamma, Sigma, Omega

Cotham School is a secondary school with academy status in Cotham, a suburb of Bristol, England. The catchment area for this school is Cotham, Clifton, Kingsdown, Southern Redland, Bishopston, St Paul's and Easton.

The school shares a sixth form, the North Bristol Post 16 Centre, with nearby Redland Green School. The Cotham campus is situated in Charnwood House, although sixth form lessons also take place at the main school site. Construction on a new teaching and dining block was finished in 2018 and increased the school's capacity significantly.^[1]

Cotham School is one of the few schools in the UK to have educated two Nobel laureates: Paul Dirac, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933, and Peter Higgs, who received the same award in 2013.

History

Cotham School was established in 1856. Its predecessor was the Merchant Venturers' School.^[2] Until the academic year 2000/01, Cotham was a grammar school. It became a comprehensive in 2001, and an academy in September 2011. A £20m redevelopment and expansion was completed in 2012, using funding from the Building Schools for the Future programme.^[3]

The BBC drama Thirteen was filmed here in 2015.

Notable alumni

• Tony Badger, Master of Clare College, Cambridge, 2003–14; Paul Mellon Professor of American History, University of Cambridge, 1992–2014.
• Paul Dirac, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 1932 to 1969 at the University of Cambridge, who won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrödinger for work on quantum mechanics.^[4]
• Wallace Fox, Professor of Community Therapeutics from 1979 to 1986 at the Cardiothoracic Institute, Royal Brompton Hospital; did important work on tuberculosis^[5]
• David Garmston, journalist^[6]
• Peter Higgs, Professor of Theoretical Physics from 1980 to 1996 at the University of Edinburgh; received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics with François Englert for his work on subatomic particles including the Higgs boson;^[7]
• Maya Jama, TV presenter
• Martyn Jarrett, Bishop of Beverley 2000–2012; Bishop of Burnley from 1994 to 2000^[8]
• Laya Lewis, actress
• Gary Mabbutt, professional footballer for Bristol Rovers F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and England
• Arthur Milton, cricketer and footballer^[9]
• John Mortimore, cricketer^[10]
• Michael Parsons, designer of bridges including the Severn and Humber Bridges
• John Perry, musician and author. Guitarist The Only Ones^{[11] [12]}
• Greg Poole, artist^[13]
• Derek Robinson, novelist^[14]
• John Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln 2001–2011; Bishop of Ludlow from 1994 to 2001^[15]
• Julian Sedgwick, actor
• John Tidmarsh, journalist^[16]
• Amy Willerton, contestant on I'm a Celebrity 2013 and contestant in Miss Universe^[17]
• Russell Wood, cricketer^[10]

See also

• Education in England

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cotham School Expansion. Cotham School. 4 June 2018.
2. Web site: Griffiths . Jon . Cotham Old Boys . Bristol . BBC . March 2006 . 2010-06-15 .
3. Web site: Weale . Sally . Bristol's Cotham school scores exam results to outshine famous alumni. Guardian . 29 January 2015 . 4 June 2018 .
4. News: Professor's visit thrills his old school. 17 October 2015. Bristol Post. 17 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20150110010621/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Professor-s-visit-thrills-old-school/story-16105202-detail/story.html. 10 January 2015. dead.
5. News: Professor Wallace Fox. 17 October 2015. Telegraph. 7 May 2010.
6. Web site: Dave Garmston. Radio West. 17 October 2015.
7. News: Look at why we loves Bristol. . AccessMyLibrary - Europe Intelligence Wire (From Bristol Evening Post) . Gale . 17 November 2004 . 2010-06-15 .
8. Web site: The clergy. Worksop Priory. 17 October 2015.
9. Web site: Arthur Milton. 4 June 2008 . ESPN Cricinfo. 17 October 2015.
10. News: Bristol school "reunion" in Gloucestershire team . 25 March 2021 . Yorkshire Evening Post . 9 August 1951 . 9 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription.
11. [John Perry (musician)]
12. Web site: The Only Ones. 10 July 2014 .
13. Web site: Dee . Tim . Greg Poole obituary . . 10 May 2019 . 11 January 2019.
14. Web site: Derek Robinson. Good Reads. 17 October 2015.
15. News: Bristol church organist's 60 years of service marked. BBC News . 20 November 2011 . 17 October 2015.
16. News: A man of the World Service. 17 October 2015. Bristol Post. 7 March 2011.
17. News: "I was bullied at school": Bristol I'm a Celebrity contestant Amy Willerton on her time at school. 17 October 2015. Bristol Post. 19 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20150718115226/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bullied-school-Bristol-m-Celebrity-contestant-Amy/story-20099417-detail/story.html. 18 July 2015. dead.